The Papacy and the Orthodox: Sources and History of a Debate examines the centuries-long debate over the primacy and authority of the Bishop of Rome, especially in relation to the Christian East. It lays out, in an informative, entertaining, clear manner, the entire history of the debate and the theological issues involved. It begins by looking at the sources of the debate, objectively analyzing the history and texts that have long divided the Catholic and Orthodox world. It then details the 2000 year history of the papacy’s reception or rejection among the Orthodox, beginning with the questio ... More

The Papacy and the Orthodox: Sources and History of a Debate examines the centuries-long debate over the primacy and authority of the Bishop of Rome, especially in relation to the Christian East. It lays out, in an informative, entertaining, clear manner, the entire history of the debate and the theological issues involved. It begins by looking at the sources of the debate, objectively analyzing the history and texts that have long divided the Catholic and Orthodox world. It then details the 2000 year history of the papacy’s reception or rejection among the Orthodox, beginning with the question that continues to bedevil ecumenists—what was the role of the Bishop of Rome during the period of the undivided church? As Rome’s prestige and power grew, so did debates over the pope’s authority, its source, and its extent. The controversy became acute following the Gregorian Reform and Fourth Crusade, as Roman demands for obedience were increasingly met with strident refusals from the East, who saw in the pope’s universalist claims an overturning of the Church’s synodal structure. By the time Vatican I (1870) declared the pope’s infallibility and universal jurisdiction—doctrines the Orthodox vehemently rejected—it was clear that the papacy, long seen by Catholics as the ministry of unity, had now become its chief obstacle. Yet the twentieth century provided hope that the dynamic could change, as polemics gave way to dialogue and both Catholics and Orthodox began to reexamine the sources and history of the debate in a new light.